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Wednesday / February 12. 2025
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Rajavelu N.K, CEO, Crop Protection Business, Godrej Agrovet Ltd shared his views on pulses production in India with AgroSpectrum on the occasion of World Pulses Day celebrated on February 10.

“Achieving sustainable pulse production in India requires a synergistic approach that integrates multiple elements of the agricultural ecosystem” said Rajavelu N.K, CEO, Crop Protection Business, Godrej Agrovet Ltd. Speaking with AgroSpectrum on the occasion of World Pulses Day celebrated on February 10 he said “Our focus on crop protection strategies has demonstrated how effective pest and disease management can immediately boost productivity. We’ve seen firsthand that when farmers have access to the right crop protection solutions, coupled with proper application guidance, the impact on yield is significant and measurable. Innovation plays a crucial role in this transformation.”

He further noted “At Godrej Agrovet, we have partnered with Farmonaut, through which we’ve successfully mapped and monitored over 100,000 acres of farmer fields using advanced satellite technology. This collaboration enables us to provide farmers with real-time data on crop health, soil organic carbon, and weather forecasts, facilitating informed decision-making and optimised resource utilisation. However, the private sector’s efforts need to be complemented by strong government support. Strategic investments in MSP procurement mechanisms, warehousing infrastructure, and modern storage facilities are essential for enhancing market stability. Additionally, policy interventions ensuring price stability, coupled with targeted incentives for pulse cultivation and sustained investments in research and development, are vital for creating a robust pulse production ecosystem.”

Talking about low productivity, he said “The slow adoption of high-yielding, drought-resistant varieties, coupled with significant crop losses due to pests like pod borer and diseases such as Fusarium wilt, poses persistent challenges. Limited access to quality inputs, including seeds, fertilisers, and micronutrients, further constrains productivity.”

It may be noted that the United Nations General Assembly has designated February 10 as World Pulses Day to recognise the importance of pulse crops like chickpeas, dry beans and lentils as a global food. Pulses are the edible seeds of leguminous plants cultivated for both food and feed. Beans, chickpeas and peas are the most well-known and commonly consumed types of pulses, but there are several more types of pulses from around the world, all with great benefits for food security, nutrition, health, climate change and biodiversity. The Day provides an opportunity to raise awareness about the nutritional benefits of pulses as part of sustainable food production with the aim of enhancing food security and nutrition. In 2025, the theme for World Pulses Day is “Pulses: Bringing diversity to agrifood systems” while the slogan is “Love pulses for a healthy diet and planet”. This year’s theme will underscore the vital role of pulses in promoting diversity – both above and below the ground.

Rajavelu N.K, CEO, Crop Protection Business, Godrej

PYNA brand to have a range of weed management options from seed sowing to active flowering stage.

Godrej Agrovet Limited’s (GAVL) Crop Protection Business announced the launch of PYNA, an umbrella brand for sustainable cotton production. A pioneer in establishing the concept of selective cotton herbicides in different markets, GAVL will be selling three of its cotton weed management products Hitweed, Hitweed Maxx, and Maxxcott under PYNA brand.

The cotton crops grow at a slow pace during the early stages. Additionally, due to wider spacing between the crops, weeds impact the cotton yield up to 45-50 per cent. With PYNA brands providing a broad window of weed management options from seed sowing to active flowering stage of crop stage, farmers can now get longer duration of weed-free crop. PYNA brands minimizes the crop – weed competition and helps to establish the cotton crop in the early stages, which directly has a positive impact on the yield.

GAVL also announced that it will be extending PYNA brand logo to co-marketers like Bayer CropScience, Rallis India, Dhanuka Agritech, PI Industries and Indofil Industries etc. are promoting and helping the farmers grow cotton sustainably through on PYNA brands which is a symbol of Trust and Quality.  Easy and safe to use, PYNA brand products aid farmers reduce dependency on manual and mechanical methods of weed control too.

Rajavelu N.K, CEO, Crop Protection Business, GAVL said, “Globally, India has largest area under cotton cultivation. However, with only 10 per cent of total cotton acreage area treated properly, it has not only impacted the productivity but also farmers profitability. Hence in order to enable sustainable cotton production, we are happy to bring our 3-marquee offerings under PYNA brand.”

“In order to ensure quality supply to farmers every time, we are excited to partner with co-marketers to leverage PYNA brand. The same will allow them to leverage the trust that Godrej brand has earned amongst the farmers in the last 36 years and collectively tap 90 per cent untapped cotton acreage,” he further added.

GAVL was the first company to introduce post-emergent selective cotton herbicide, Hitweed, in 2007. Enabling cotton plants to get more space, light, and air for robust growth without impacting the soil, it was developed for usage 20-25 Days After Sowing (DAS).  Witnessing the need to protect cotton crop during early post-emergent phase viz. 7-15 DAS, it launched Hitweed Maxx in 2019 which enabled farmers get superior crop safety and better efficacy. In 2023, the company launched Maxxcott – a pre-emergent herbicide to be used 0-3 DAS – which eliminates growth of major weeds in cotton, ensures good growth of cotton seedlings, and reduces further spread of major weeds.

PYNA brand to have a range of